Shenzhen (Yantian / Shekou)
Pearl River Delta battery cargo, often stuffed at factories in Dongguan or Huizhou, exported through Yantian or Shekou, with a typhoon season from June to October.
Europe · sea freight from Shenzhen
Shipping from Shenzhen to Marseille Fos
Shenzhen to Marseille Fos
South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Ionian Sea · Sicily Channel · Ligurian Sea
- ShenzhenChina origin
- South China Sea
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Ionian Sea
- Sicily Channel
- Ligurian Sea
- Marseille FosFrance
Lithium batteries for Marseille Fos go from Dongguan and Shenzhen factories via Yantian, where the one-box route had moved 409 battery containers by September 2026. On the way they face a Suez corridor that Mediterranean services are using again more than any other Asia–Europe lane, and they arrive at the port of Marseille Fos.
The French side checks the producer's unique identifier (IDU) as well as the EU battery rules. Below are 6 route-specific points to plan for, what we do about each, and the documents to have ready before booking.
What we need to start
- Typhoon season Jun–Oct
- Yantian / Shekou export
- EU declaration of conformity
- IDU (batteries stream)
- French-language safety information
Route profile
What sets Shenzhen → Marseille Fos apart
France
An IDU from SYDEREP for the batteries stream, eco-organisme membership now required for every battery category, and the EU-wide CE and label duties.
Where this route gets difficult
What to watch between Shenzhen and Marseille Fos: 6 points
Listed from loading in Shenzhen to import into France, each with what we do about it.
- Origin port
Inspected in Dongguan, loaded unopened at Yantian
A large share of Shenzhen's battery exports is stuffed inland and trucked to the quay. In a May 2026 cross-regional 'one-box' pilot, Yantian MSA and Dongguan MSA jointly inspected four battery containers at a Dongguan factory and loaded them at Yantian without reopening them, which shows that the factory inspection record is what counts at the terminal.
What Anxin does: We ask at booking whether your factory and the terminal's MSA office can use the one-box arrangement, and we have stuffing photos, the packing certificate and the DG declaration match exactly, so the container is not held for re-inspection.
- Origin port
Cut-offs in Shenzhen's typhoon weeks
June to October is the regional tropical cyclone season according to the Hong Kong Observatory, peaking July to September. Because DG boxes need approved MSA filings and a signed packing certificate before loading, a gate closure or rolled vessel in those weeks can move the entire document chain to another sailing.
What Anxin does: From June to October we build slack into the stuffing date, confirm the DG cut-off with the carrier the week before loading, and resubmit filings promptly if the vessel changes.
- Sea corridor
The canal is open; the risk sits further south
The JMIC's September 2026 update put the northern Red Sea and the Suez Canal at MODERATE, with two-way transits and container lines selectively returning, and the Eastern Mediterranean at LOW. On this corridor the exposure lies at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, not at the canal itself.
What Anxin does: We check before each booking whether the service has changed routing since the last quote.
- Import country
Mercury, cadmium and lead limits in portable batteries
Annex I of the Battery Regulation caps mercury at 0.0005 %, cadmium at 0.002 % and lead at 0.01 % by weight in portable batteries, and the lead limit has applied since 18 August 2024. Market surveillance in France can ask the importer to show that the goods meet these limits.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer for its substance declaration or test report reference and file it with the shipping documents for the France importer; we do not test batteries.
- Import country
The truck leg out of Marseille Fos runs under ADR
Road delivery from Marseille Fos is an ADR movement, because the EU applies ADR to domestic journeys through Directive 2008/68/EC. For UN 3480 that means class 9, transport category 2 and tunnel code (E), which restricts the route through category E tunnels; batteries found damaged at unloading move to special provision 376 packing (P908 or P911).
What Anxin does: We give the France haulier the same UN number, class and package details that appear on the sea dangerous goods declaration, so the ADR transport document matches the container paperwork from Shenzhen.
- Import country
The importer's name and address on the battery
A battery entering France has to identify its importer: name, registered trade name or trade mark, postal address and a contact point belong on the battery itself, or on the packaging or accompanying document when the battery is too small. That text is fixed at the factory, not at Marseille Fos.
What Anxin does: We pass the France importer's name and address block to the manufacturer before the goods are packed in China and check carton or battery photos for it before loading.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Shenzhen → Marseille Fos
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
At the Shenzhen end
- Confirmation from the carrier of the DG cut-off at Yantian or Shekou, rechecked in typhoon weeks
- Transport-condition classification report where applicable
- Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
- EU declaration of conformity and CE marking photo from the manufacturer
- Importer name, trade name and postal address printed on battery or packaging
Carrier and voyage
- Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
- Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)
- Consignee EORI and HS-level description to the ENS filer before loading
For the importer in France
- Haulier in France briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
- Eco-organisme (or approved individual system) for the battery category
- Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
Before you book
One consistent file
A document that is present but inconsistent holds a booking as surely as a missing one: the UN number, model name or carton count reads differently in the Shenzhen export filings, the carrier booking and the France import papers. We compare all three before confirming space.
Carriers we book with
Our booking panel; availability on this lane and acceptance of the declared UN numbers are confirmed for each booking. It does not mean that a listed carrier runs a direct service on this route. Carrier choice depends on the trade lane, cargo classification and each carrier's dangerous-goods acceptance at booking. The final carrier is confirmed on the booking.
Risk & mitigation
Risks on this route and who deals with them
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Container reopened at the terminal because records do not match | Factory → Yantian | Photos, packing certificate and DG declaration cross-checked before trucking | Anxin |
| Typhoon closes terminals or delays the vessel after filings are made | Yantian / Shekou, Jun–Oct | Slack in stuffing date; refile quickly on vessel change | Anxin with the declarant |
| Road route planned through a category E tunnel | Road leg from Marseille Fos | Tunnel code (E) passed to the haulier with the transport data | Haulier / forwarder |
| Importer details missing from battery and packaging | Importer in France | Address block sent to the factory before packing | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
Common questions on the Shenzhen → Marseille Fos route
Yes. Since 18 August 2025 all battery categories, industrial and EV included, must be covered by an approved eco-organisme or an approved individual system.
Often: in September 2026, 57% of Asia–Mediterranean services used the Red Sea routing. Bab el-Mandeb was rated a SUBSTANTIAL threat by the JMIC on 24 September 2026, so we confirm each service's routing before booking.
Yes, provided a certified packing inspector supervises the stuffing and signs the container packing certificate. Since May 2026 Yantian and Dongguan MSA have also piloted joint factory inspection so the container can be loaded at Yantian without reopening; we check whether your shipment can use it.
References
Official sources for this page
- Filière REP Batteries (BAT) (ADEME, Filières REP)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
- JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
- Yantian MSA runs 'one-box' model for lithium battery sea exports (Chinese), 8 May 2026 (Shenzhen Development and Reform Commission (source: Shenzhen MSA))
- Forecasting yearly number of tropical cyclones affecting Hong Kong (tropical cyclone season June–October, most active July–September) (Hong Kong Observatory)
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Shenzhen
- 5ImportClearance at Marseille Fos
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Shenzhen → Marseille Fos before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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